Configuring a wireless PCMCIA card

[Alma J Wetzker]

Brad De Vries wrote:
> Hey all, I just received my first (don't laugh) wireless card and
> router.  I'm using an old IBM ThinkPad running Knoppix off CD as a
> test case and I'm wondering how to setup the card.
> 
> My router has a SSID set and is using WPA-PSK (authorizing with a
> pre-shared key.)  I can see the iwconfig command can set the ESSID
> (which I hope is the same as SSID) but I can't find the WPA-PSK stuff.
> 
> Any thoughts from anyone on where that's set?

First, I am no longer considered a guru.

I picked up a Thinkpad T23 at the start of fall semester.  I struggled 
for about three weeks trying to get a Belkin wireless card working.  I 
tried knoppix and installed Suse 9.2 pro (which worked flawlessly and 
recognized all the special keys and functions.)  I  never got the Belkin 
card running.  I broke down and ordered an Orinoco Gold card from New 
Egg and SuSE detected it and started it up just fine.

I have yet to fix this, but I need to do a strange dance with the 
network when using wireless.  The internal network adapter 100Base-T 
(eth0) tries to find a network before the wireless card (eth1).  I end 
up stopping both cards (ifdown) and then starting just the wireless card 
(ifup) and all is happy.  (I actually get an IP address but the DNS 
resolution is borked.)

Someone smarter than me (easy to find) might be able to get things 
working.  I spent time with the University ACM chapter and linux 
bitheads.  We started with ndiswrapper and then got esoteric.  Get the 
Orinoco Gold card.

     -- Alma